Masonic Notes And Otjekie8.

MASONIC NOTES AND OTJEKIE 8 .

JEEP . DAVIS A EllEEMASON . I should like to know if Jeff . Davis , the President of the Confederate States , is a Freemason ? Certain matters in original correspondence from the South lead me to infer that he is . Does any one know ?—!?¦ FEEELIXG . — [ He is . He was Master of a loclge at Eichmond when the war broke out . We know an American brother , now in London , who was initiated by him . General Beauregard is also a brother , and was a member of the same lodge . ]

ESOTEEK TEACHING . ( Concluded from page 399 ) . But why trace further the now obsolete ceremonies of bygone mythical ages ancl of the old world , while we can adduce to our purpose certain mystical rites of some of the aborigines of the new world , analogous to those first named , which their traditions refer to the most remote antiquity . We were ourfew

selves an eye-witness to many of these rites only a years ago , and we believe they are still practised by a portion of these Adamites , or Red Men , * notwithstanding the advances of civilisation , so-called , and of the prescriptive doctrines of Christian sectaries among them . The aborigines to whom we allude are the remnant of the Confederacy of "the Iroquois" ( Erokua ) so called by the

- French , t who still linger on the former hunting-grounds of their ancestors , the former sovereigns of the territory now embracing the state of New York . ° These five nations are , the Mohawks , the Oneidas , the Onondagas , the Cayngas , and the Sc-necas ; of which there are not now more than three thousand loft , men , women , and children , all told . In their figurative languagetheir territory was called "long house"J

symbolis-, a , ing their union in one famil y bv lineage as well as politically . This house was said to have its " eastern door at Schenectady , at which the Mohawks kept watch , and its western door near Niagara , which the Senecas sentineled . It is not unknown to many of our brethren , that a few years

ago we devoted ourselves , for a time to the prosecution of antiquarian researches among those interesting sons of the forest . A portion of the fruit of our researches , so far as they related to the Honontkah , a secret societ y that formerly existed among them , we communicated to the Freemasons' Magazine ; ancl the same was reproduced , with comments more worthy than the facts we furnished , by Bro . Kavanah , of Kentucky , and published in the Masonic Miscellany then edited bBro . Mackey

, y , of Charleston , S . C . To the little we had then to say about the esotery , or " greater mysteries " of this secret order , we have now little to add , but shall refer to the lesser mysteries , if we may so designate them , to which all their people , women as well as men , were admitted , as were the ancient Greeks to the lower mysteries of Eleusis . As we stated on a former occasion we were moved to make

the investigations we did , from an intimation in one of tho annual addresses of M . W . De Witt Clinton , when Grand Master of the Grand Loclge of the State of New York , to the effect that an aboriginal Christian missionary had communicated to him some of the particulars of this societ y , which had formerly existed among the Iroquois ]] in this State . From M . W . Morgan Lewis , late Grand Master of the said Grand Locl we also learned

ge , some facts of a similar character , that had been communicated to him by his father , a Welshman , when a prisoner among the Ohio Indians during the last century . AVe have the satisfaction to acknowledge our poetical friend ancl brother , Alfred B . Street , ? of the AV ASA-DO-DE-NO-SONNE ,

as a collaborator with us in the investigations named . We , therefore , claim a quasi joint ownership in the elucidations from , his pen , which we shall quote on this subject : this we do jn preference to using our own language , a liberty we know he will GXCUSGi He designates the Honontkah as an order answering to our Masonic Institution , that its members were bound by the closest ties , their meetings held with the profoundest secrecy , and its objects never fully made known to the world . Their mark , or sign of membership , was a stripe tatooed upon the skin .

The Irotjitois War Dance . " Of the eight totems , on each breast Displayed in blue tatoo impressed—Here crawled the tortoise , glared the " bear , The violf there lurked within his lair ; The crane on slender limb stood here , Here bowed the snipe , there leaped the deer ;

The beaver here made waddling walk , And hig h in air there soared the hatvfc , While frequently was seen the mark Of the HO-NONT-ICAH next the other , Which none deciphered bat a brother ; Order , mysterious , secret , dark ! Each making ( all save this unknown And this by only actions shown )

The otlier ' s weal or woe Ms own . The Atotarho was its head ; And through the league its members spread , The head Chiefs of the other nations Holding within next highest stations—¦ & = t & » J & ^ 5 F In the broad square a post was placed With stri of red—war ' s hue—arrayed

pes , Save in one spot where , rudely traced , Was the League's coat of arms displayed , Five Braves that in a circle stood AVith hands tight grasped in one another ' s—A heart amidst them—tribal brothers , Handed in one firm brotherhood .

As the sky kindled to the moon ' s rich flame , AVithin the area throngs of warriors came ; Around the post in mazy file they wound , Then couched in rings successive on the ground . AVithin , two gaunt and withered figures sat , With drum and rattle each upon his mat , Whilst upward streamed in one high ruddy spire Beside the post the usual war-dance ^ re .

The dusky ring wore looks of fixed repose , Until at last a tall young warrior rose , AVith hatchet , knife and war-club armed was he , A snowy mantle falling to his knee . Upon his breast the totem of the BEAE , The Ho-nontJcah stripe , too , placed conspicuous there , Midst records of his deeds , one crimson blaze ; Dress worn alone on most momentous clays !

'Twas the young Atotarho ! slow and grave He reached the fire , and then one whoop he gave , And as his brow grew dark , and wild his glance , He broke into the stamping , swinging dance : From right to left he went , tho hollow beat Of the ga-nu-jah echoing to his feet , Chanting in measure to his rocking frame , Whilst from the two old forms a ceaseless droning came .

The Iroquois Strawberry Dance . " Now must the Council Square's expanse Echo the usual Strawberry Dance , And thanks each bosom render there To Fire and Water , Forth and Air . The file , the Council House around Was ranged : # * # *

First , Yu-we-lon-doh bowed his head To tvhere the sun its splendour shed , Then waved Ids arm—the drum awoke , The rattle into clatterings broke ; And forward , with his rocking feet , The Chief began the ground to beat , Swelling his guttural anthem strain , Followed by all the stamping train ,